The Chronicles of Dark and Light
by wynterarrow
Summary: Dark and Krad haven't always been enemies. However, like the Darkness and the Light, they could never be together. But what caused them to be torn apart was their own creators. It's up to their tamers to break this curse and for all. On hiatus.
1. The Curse Begins

Revised December 14, 2011

Chapter One: Beginnings

The thief climbed over the wall, then dodged a strangely colored patch of grass. As he passed over it, a near-invisible thin wire beneath the grass became visible. A thin patch of moonlight slid over the garden wall, and the thief hid, as if afraid of the light. He crept up to the doors, taking care not to touch anything except for the grass.

He picked the lock, broke an absurdly thin chain that linked the door to the wall, and carefully stepped in. The entire corridor seemed to be safe, for the thief smiled confidently and proceeded boldly through the hall. Onward, he stepped into a room, careful to make sure that no one was in there, and unlatched another door in the room quietly. Despite his efforts, the door opened with a small 'click.' He cursed quietly inside his head, hoping that no one had noticed, and slipped inside the room, closing the door behind him. He continued down yet another hall. A strange, low chant started to fill the air, and he closed his eyes, revolted by the smell of dark magic, and whispered a near silent prayer to an unknown god to protect him.

He forged forward, his body like a shadow and his movements sure and confident. There was a hum and a certain electricity that hung in the air, filling his body with energy and making his eyes gleam with a peculiar light.

He flung open the last door. Inside was a light haired man, and in his right hand he held a brush that gleamed like a diamond. In front of him was large white sheet covering an easel. The painting itself was obscured, and the chanting grew louder. White tendrils of magic started covering the sheet, and the artist stood back and continued speaking, the strange language flowing over his tongue like silk.

Nothing good would come of this, the thief quickly assessed. The Dark magic would destroy whatever good this art piece had possessed.

So the thief lunged forward.

The artist turned, breaking his smooth chant, and was slammed into the marble floor by the full weight of the thief. Momentarily stunned, the thief cuffed him hard on the head and pulled himself free, reaching for the easel. His fingertips were just about to touch the cloth with an enraged, inhuman scream echoed throughout the room, sending the whole room ablaze with sound and echo.

"No!" shouted the artist, and he shoved the thief back, brutally slamming his head back into a pillar. "It isn't finished!" The tendrils of magic seemed to hesitate, then gathered about the easel more thickly, turning darker and darker until both the artist and the thief were trapped within it. As the two fought, the edge of the sheet was caught under the thief's boot. The artist finally shoved the thief back, and the cloth was ripped off—

And underneath lay Koku Yoku, a painting of the balance of light and dark. A blond haired man with amber-gold eyes and a violet haired, purple eyed man faced one another, each the half of one another, both figures both themselves and each other, and neither at the same time. The thief let go of the artist's sleeve, and finally the artist fought free of his grip. The artist hurriedly resumed his chant, and the miasma started to lift. The painting glowed, and the thief struggled to his feet. He tackled the artist yet again, and the painting started to dull from lack of magical sustenance.

"Damn you, Niwa! Get back!" The artist slashed at the thief's strong, wiry body with the point of the brush, which suddenly seemed as sharp as a blade.

Red, scarlet blood dripped from the rips in his shirt, and the thief hissed in agony. "Hikari… you will destroy us all!"

The artist desperately resumed the chant; but it was too late, and the miasma covered them all, destroying the light in the painting and binding both artist and thief in place.

And so we were both born. The darkness lifted and dissipated into the night air.

Krad and I, Dark Mousy, took our first breath in the real world at last. But some magic still lingered, and as we were still recovering from our sudden and violent summoning, Krad was violently pulled toward the artist, and I toward the thief. I looked into my twin's eyes, his filled with wonder and fear, and mine full of excitement and sadness as I knew that this would be a curse.

And it truly was a curse, for after 300 years, we are both still alive—but filled with pain and memories and resentment, as we have been forced to live for so long. And my tamer is now Daisuke Niwa, a young boy of 14, whom I care for with my life, and I hope that he will be the one to break our curse.


	2. Dark's Awakening

Revised December 14, 2011.

I don't own DNAngel, ( I love you, whoever made this awesome manga!) *fangirl enthusiasm*

I'm sort of/ not really following the storyline, (partly because it's going to be first person from four different people's views) (well I might add in a new character…)

Anyways, I think you'll be able to discern whoever's talking, if you have read the manga!

CHAPTIRE TWO: DARK'S AWAKENING

Chaotic thoughts whirled around me. Confidence. A fiery soul that believed in justice, a quick wit and intellect that rivaled most his age. I reached out and calmed them, layering my emotions with a sense of magic and confidence.

He was confused and frightened, and I couldn't help but laugh. _"Hey."_

The boy- _Daisuke, huh?_ spun around, scared. "Who… who are you? What's happened to me?"

Clueless, but still wary.

"I'm Dark Mousy, Daisuke. Your other half. It's nice to meet ya." I looked through his eyes to see what he was facing. It was a painting of a young girl, and I started in surprise… and asked, to take away the unease "Hey, that's girl's a looker—is she the sacred maiden you love?" I laughed, and said, "You've got good taste."

I felt him blush, and a furious whirl of thoughts that I read were no longer suspicious nor terrified of me. There was simply a sense of light relief and indignation. "Whoa there, calm down… Risa Harada? Hmm, she's cute."

"MOM!"

Obviously, he didn't believe that he was actually hearing me, and he pounded down the stairs.

I listened in amusement as his mother explained to him about everything. And I laughed even harder as Daisuke literally freaked out about stealing the painting.

"_Oh boy, this is gonna be good,"_ I said as I observed him.

-_And then...-_

The boy was a natural. He'd obviously trained for this his whole life. He got through the security measures easily enough, and the only time he needed help was when Satoshi Hiwatari appeared.

I knew at once that Krad was there the moment I laid eyes on that boy. Those light cornflower eyes and light blue hair tones could have only belonged to the Hikari family. A sense of resigned judgment rose in me; how many times had we met like this before? How many times would I have to fight him in order to end this curse? How many innocents would he break, and how many would I send to their deaths to stop him?

Part of me held still held care and affection for my previous friend and self, Krad. But the other half held only contempt and pity for him. From the first time the two of us managed to live on in the genes of the Niwa and Hikari boys, he started becoming twisted. They had turned my mirror image into something that was dark, something that was stained with the blood of hundreds. Righteous anger had coursed through my veins the first time I witnessed the Hikari tamer forcing Krad to murder and steal and kill, pushing him to his boundaries. He had begged me for help with his eyes, begging me to stop him, but I could not raise my hand to deal the final blow.

How I wish I could turn the clock back, that I could have brought myself to destroy him! I cursed the Hikari family, and I cursed the Niwa thief for bringing us to life instead of destroying our portrait and releasing our souls.

But this was different, and I was suddenly afraid of not the cold, calculating look that young boy had in his eyes, but the restraint he held for the animal inside him—was it about to break? Krad most definitely would hate me now, not after what I did to him.

I lost control. There was one time that my guard slipped. I don't remember when it was, but it was before Daiki or Daisuke Niwa possessed my spirit….

"_Krad, don't!"_

_He held that girl in his hands, and I was beside myself with fury. She lolled limply in his grip, and he smiled at me. "Oh? What will you do if I don't?"_

"_KRAD!" I roared, and for the first time I learned that I truly loved that girl only through the sheer terror I held for her fragile fate. My tamer, at that time, was wise enough to stay out of the situation. "DON'T!"_

"_You love her, don't you?" he taunted me, while standing in the living room. I was afraid, so afraid for that fragile human girl in his arms, the fear for that beautiful girl, of her dying, of her leaving me alone in this tangled line of fate—_

_And I knew I could not live without her._

_He looked down at her, smiling. "It's so rare to actually find one of your weaknesses, Dark—why don't you let me enjoy it a little longer?" He bent slightly over her, and traced his finger up her neck. "I know—it would torment you to see me hurt her!"_

_That monster was enjoying this! If he violated her, touched her, made her bleed—_

_He brought his hand to her neck, where we both knew she would bleed to death if he cut her. He pressed down, and a thick trail of blood trickled down her neck and into her collar. Even in her sedated sleep, she still shuddered and twisted in his grasp._

_At that moment, I cursed Krad too. Nothing mattered to me anymore; with an inarculate growl of fury, I summoned my magic, and forced him from her. He was surprised; he had depended on my sense of helplessness for his current actions and my reluctance to destroy him. In that moment, everything was shattered as I brought to light my full power, allowing it to run through my body. I had laughed, a wild look glimmering in my eye- I was made for this fight!_

_We faced each other in that room, the fireplace lighting the floor between us, dark and light against each other, and within ourselves, the hate and love we possessed._

_And I lunged forward, protectively shielding my arms around her, and smashed his wings into bloody pieces. He gasped in pain, agony, as he reeled back. He never had a creature like Wiz to begin with, and I had destroyed his actual wings._

_Wings take a long time to heal, and I doubt that they've fully healed yet._

_But Krad somehow disappeared, and I lay that girl on the couch and woke her with my magic._

"_Dark?" she asked softly, her eyes lighting up at the sight of me. "It's you! You came for me!" She flung her arms around my neck, and I held her, feeling pleased and worried at the same time._

"_Are you alright?" I healed the cut with my magic again. "It doesn't hurt, does it?" _

"_No." She pressed closer to me, but I could feel her shaking. "Dark, I was so scared!"_

"_It's alright now, but you have to promise me one thing: Be careful. I'll do my best to keep Krad from you, but you also have to watch out for your own…"_

"_Thanks, Dark." Her eyes were filled with admiration, and in the heat of the moment, she reached up, brushing the back of her hand against my cheek, and pressed her lips to mine. I blushed, but deepened the kiss, closing my eyes as I sighed at the warm feeling I felt rising in my chest. "I love you," she whispered, burying her face in my neck._

_I was younger, more naïve. I listened, enraptured by this angel as she spoke. "Then please… run away with me! Marry me. I love you, I love you, I love you…"_

_But she knew my obligations, and with a heavy heart, I told her so. "I can't."_

_I explained to her about my fate, and the next time…_

"Dark! A little help here?" Daisuke pleaded. I cleared my thoughts and focused through his eyes. The Hiwatari boy had tackled him, and was pinning him down on the floor.

"Daisuke, you've done well, but let me take over now."

"Wha—"

Hoping to keep this fight short, I confused the Hiwatari boy with magic, then I stole the Sacred Maiden and summoned Wiz. I flew through the air, wondering if Krad would finally force his way out and follow me, but I didn't sense him at all.

But the boy who held Krad in check looked strong, and I knew with a sense of foreboding that he would give me trouble later on in the future.

-End-

Whew, that was an interesting chapter. Reviews, please?


	3. Krad's Awakening

Revised December 14th, 2011

CHAPTIRE THREE: KRAD'S AWAKENING

Cool, undisturbed thoughts, a stable mind, sharp intellect, an almost inhuman, detached sense of reasoning. Yes, this boy would do well as my tamer.

The boy was startled at first when he sensed me. _"Krad!"_

I chose to ignore him, reading his past and memories and thoughts until he threw a block over the memories he didn't want me to see. Smart boy. Unbidden, a small smile curled the edge of my lip.

"_So. You are the last descendant of the Hikari family? I had no idea that foolish bloodline would die out so quickly- from cowardice and insanity, perhaps?"_

He growled in response.

"_You do not seem to be surprised at my presence, dear tamer," _I purred, intending to test him. _"Perhaps you would like a more… personal welcome?" _He began to speak, but crumpled in agony as I attacked the barrier. I wanted to read him, to see what he was like and if he would treat me ruthlessly as they all had done in the past.

As all the Hikaris had all done with the power of paintings, and to torment my mind until I would finally be rendered unconscious with pain, the memories, the shallow insanity that consumed them all.

Would Hiwatari be like the rest of them?

He was screaming by then. I was ruthless; I smashed every single barrier he had. The boy had excessive mental aptitude, but he had nothing on my skills, which, of course, had been honed to perfection over the course of hundreds of years.

Dimly, I heard a door opening, and Hiwatari struggled to stand. My repeated attempts to access the rest of his mind wracked his body with pain, and he fell yet again in front of Kei Hiwatari, a name that I got from Satoshi's mind until he blocked from the rest of his mind with a particular vehemence that both startled and intrigued me. Satoshi looked up at him with hate. With that imbalance in mind, I tore through the last vestiges of his barrier and read the rest of his memories. Instantly, I discovered that Kei was not his actual father. I was flooded with emotion, namely hate and a revulsion that threatened to engulf the boy's mind.

The more I discovered about Kei, the more contempt I held for him. Kei never loved Hiwatari but only used him as a tool. He wouldn't hesitate to use the power of the Hikari artworks to torture Satoshi. Although I could care less about that, this boy was my tamer, and this… _thing… _dared to touch my tamer.

Anger rose through my blood. This man would pay.

"Satoshi, get up."

He panted, his eyes filled with pain as he repeatedly smashed at my grip. I released my hold on his memories and retreated to the corner of his mind, waiting to see what would happen.

"Krad's appeared, hasn't he?" His father sounded greedy. "Let him out."

I was curious, and I fought Hiwatari for control. He collapsed again, but I managed to force my way out. I relished the transformation; it had been too long since I was able to reveal my true form. An icy look was directed at Kei. "What do you want?"

"Will you work with me to destroy Dark Mousy?"

Something I would do for free and of my own will. "I will do that myself."

"I need your power to unseal the Hikari artworks and to keep Dark from stealing them."

I shook my head. "No."

"You will do as I say!"

My eyes widened as he brought out something that looked like a cross with a snake entwining the metal. The power that was being awakened in that piece of art was something that should have never been done.

"You wouldn't dare-!" That piece of artwork by the Hikaris was extremely dangerous, and if he unsealed it, it would destroy us all. "Stop!" For the first time, fear gripped my mind, and Satoshi stirred in the back of my mind.

"_He would." _As Satoshi spoke the words, Kei directed the power at me, and instantly my body was racked with pain.

I lost control, and my white wings burst out in a shower of Satoshi's own blood. He screamed in pain. The power smashed a couple of my flight feathers, and I buckled with the pain. "NO!" I summoned my magic and began to speak the words that would smash Kei to pieces, but Satoshi fought for control, weakly saying, _"Don't kill him!"_ He gasped for breath. The appearance of my wings seemed to have hurt him badly. _"Please!"_

The magic disappeared, and Kei yet again unleashed the artwork's power upon me, and I screamed again and collapsed. Satoshi seemed to be trying to take the pain with me, but he couldn't take it for long and withdrew, making the pain even worse.

"Stop!"

Kei stepped in front of me. "Then swear allegiance to me."

If he continued the pain again, I would die. However, pride would not let me yield. I settled for a different route: "I will work with you to destroy Dark. However, I will do so of my own accord…"

"That's all I wanted to hear. That wasn't so hard, was it?" He pocketed the cross, and I let Satoshi regain control. "It's a good thing you overcame Satoshi. If you hadn't come out, I would have killed him."

I couldn't bear the thought of Dark living on if I perished here. Wounded and in pain, I let my consciousness stay in the back of Satoshi's mind quietly.

Satoshi was still hurt, and from his shoulder blades to the middle of his back, two large gashes bled freely. He lay there, and his 'father' stepped over him. He left Hiwatari lying there, and I realized that if I let Satoshi continue to lie there, he would bleed to death. I spoke the few choice words that would heal them, and he groaned as they sealed themselves. I did not close them all the way, however. It had already expended much of my magic to force my transformation, not to mention to counteract the effects of that damned man's attack.

He sat up, the remains of blood running in rivulets down his back and ruining the carpet. He stripped his shirt off and threw it aside to stop it from sticking to his wounds. "Why did you heal me?"

I felt like sneering, but I was too exhausted. _"Fool. If you die, I do too."_ I powered down for a while, conserving my energy, then said, _"And I owed you too... You tried to stop me from coming out, didn't you, because you knew what Kei was going to do?"_

He nodded, his thoughts running from each memory with a swift, analytical observation. "We're even. I have heard from my predecessors that your wings were damaged from a previous injury. Is it bothering you now?"

It was true. My wings ached, and the scars left over from the magic wouldn't fade anytime soon.

"I believe that you'd heal faster if you were able to materialize." Satoshi managed to stumble his way over to a chair that was situated close to him. "Just don't take your wings out like you did last time."

I thought it over_._ There was nothing to lose from this, as unusually tolerant this was. Any other tamer would have instantly slammed me back into their minds, refusing to let me out._ "Thank you, Master Satoshi."_

"Hnn."

I materialized, leaving an open channel to Satoshi to communicate with me.

"_You aren't considering obeying my father, are you?"_

Without replying, I went to the bathroom and ran the cold water, cleansing off the residue of magic, which seemed to have left an uncomfortable film on my skin. I decided to be respectful to him. After all, he had saved my life. "I'm going to take a shower, Master Satoshi. May I borrow some of your clothes?"

"_Go ahead. But answer my question, and don't call me 'Master.'"_ He sounded a tad bit irritated. I filed that bit of information away for later.

I chose a formal white shirt and a pair of pale black and blue pants made of an unidentifiable fabric, which were the only things that I could have fit into. Satoshi was an unusually thin child. Any child of the Hikaris before me were treated like veritable gods, something that had disgusted me. They had no minds of their own, like sheep that cowered before me. He was different. That much I could tell.

The entire house seemed to be a fairly well-off place, well-designed and well-stocked with medical supplies and different hygienic items. The light hummed as I put the bloodstained clothes into the hamper, making sure that there wasn't anything there that could be tainted by my blood. Resisting the urge to just use my magic to manually turn the taps on and heat the water on my own accord, as it would drain my reserves, I winced as the then-cold water ran over the deep wounds around my forearms and my chest. I refrained from taking my wings out.

In the cold silence that followed, punctuated only by the warm flow and burble of the water that ran from the tap, I answered him. "Satoshi, do you really want that to happen again?"

"_What?"_

"You felt some of that pain. Do you want your father to use that art again?"

Silence. Then, _"No._

"There. You have your answer. I must follow your father's orders, or risk allowing him to release the power of that piece of art."

Hiwatari was silent. "_You… you know how he is, so just don't—"_ He fell silent again. _"You understand what I mean."_

He feared Kei. A foreign well of pity rose in my heart, but I quickly stifled it, searching for something to say.

Satoshi sensed my hesitation. _"You don't need to answer me. All you need to know is that I won't use you for my personal gain… I can't say as much for Kei."_

Yes, Master Satoshi… no, just Satoshi would do well as my tamer. He was wise, and although he was foolish to not use the veritable power that was now at his command, he chose not to use it. Somehow, I respected him for it.

I resumed my task of cleansing my mortal form of the magic, secretly relishing the warmth that suffused my skin. I loved baths, the single luxury from humans that I enjoyed. It had been too long since I had touched water that wasn't salty or cold. My back ached, reminding me of something I had been meaning to ask. "Is it alright if I take out my wings?"

"_Yes."_

He whimpered a little as they reopened his previous wounds, feeling the shock of having his tendons and muscles ripped apart by the unnatural fusing of the wings to his back. I studied my wings, smoothing the long flight feathers with my hand. "Are you alright?"

"_Y-yeah." _

As I completed the inspection of my wings, I had come up with multiple sources of the pain. The hollow shafts of my flight feathers were crushed, and some were snapped in half, sending uncomfortable throbs of pain through the entire appendage. I healed them with magic, and flapped my wings experimentally, accidentally sending droplets of water against the wall and on the shower curtain. Another cleansing spell cast off the dust and various debris that had accumulated, and I felt unusually light. Clean, even. "They're healed, but they feel weak. They will be inadequate in a fight against Dark Mousy." I snarled; that accursed angel had not fallen short of taunting me about it over the last hundred years.

"_As long as you can fly, you're fine."_ Hiwatari's voice was tight was pain.

"To you, I suppose. I don't think you understand the full extent of my grudge against Dark Mousy." I sealed my wings back in, a bit less gently that I should have, and he inhaled sharply. I finished showering and turned off the water, then dried myself with a towel. Despite the slow rejuvenation of my magic, my back began to bleed, an effect that bled over from Satoshi's form. Before long, the towel was also stained red. I dropped it into the hamper, and then used my magic to heal the gash across my back. It was only temporary, but it would hold. I put on the clothing and buttoned the shirt loosely, feeling rather self conscious about the striped black and blue pajama pants.

I carried the hamper out. Anything tainted with my blood was not a good idea, and I wanted to get it off as quickly as possible without further use of my magic. The door separating Satoshi's bedroom from another one was slightly ajar, and I avoided the one that Kei had come through, going so far as to locking it and shoving a random metal decoration across the bars to keep him from opening it again.

The next door turned out to be an adjacent room filled with blueprints, maps, and whirring computers. Humanity surely had advanced during the time I was sleeping, as evidenced by the new technology that was distributed about the room. A soft light automatically clicked on as I padded further in. Far in the corner, I recognized twin gleaming objects that I identified as washing machines. At a loss to how to operate the washing machine, I hovered uncertainly over it. Hiwatari spoke_. "Let me do it. I don't want you flooding the entire place with detergent bubbles."_

Despite myself, I smiled wryly, then allowed Satoshi to regain control. He had a hand over his right shoulder, and in a rare act of pity I healed his back with magic, knocking my reserves back down to zero. Frustrated, I sighed. I had to stop doing that. There was just something about Satoshi that suppressed my usual callous ruthlessness.

The magic, however, was not able to stop the pain from the remaining internal damage. He choked off a scream, then panted heavily, allowing the intake of cold air to take away some of the lingering pain. He stood, leaning against the washer, and did something to the machine while I withdrew and rested. He slid down to the floor, upsetting the empty hamper, and rested there for a while.

"Krad."

"_Yes?"_

"You aren't so bad, you know, as they told me…"

He must mean Kei.

He continued, confirming my thoughts, saying, "Kei told me that you were a ruthless creature, who wouldn't hesitate to constantly torture me."

"_Well, I am sorry to have fallen short of your expectations." _

Satoshi ignored my sarcasm. "There have been a lot of stories where you and Dark fight, and Dark always elaborates on how you recklessly use magic, endangering your tamer's life."

So he feared me. It was true, yes, I did not care for those useless children who used me. I would use my magic at abandon, always drawing from my host, not from me. Their magical cores were abundant, but in the end they served little purpose as I drove them into insanity.

But I feared him too. If I allowed myself to become close to him, to let him know my weakness and the absence of my stronger side, he would use the Hikari artworks to punish me, and in my corner of space in his mind I withdrew a little.

"Krad?"

"It's nothing." I roughly pushed him away like all the others, severing my connection with him. But this time, I felt a twinge of regret as I pulled away, because I felt him emanate a little pain and confusion.

He slowly got up and turned off the lights, then picked up his glasses and replaced them on the desk. After a moment's thought, he said, "Good night, Krad."

I wondered if I should reply.

He was different. I would grant him that.

Perhaps he _would _be a better tamer.

I had nothing to lose. I would give Satoshi the benefit of the doubt, so I chose to answer. _"Goodnight, Master Satoshi."_ The words sounded foreign in my mind, but the flash of sincerity and- to my utter surprise- a small smile took that away.

Without another word, he gazed outside, watching the peaceful city lights and the darkness beyond it, falling asleep with a sense of security. It was strange, the confidence this human had in me. I could have crushed him then, in my sleep. I think I would have before.

But for now, he was my tamer, and I would guard him with my life.


	4. Daisuke and Satoshi, Dark and Krad

This chapter's going to be… hmm… Daisuke's point of view. Although it's going to be kind of boring (well, in the manga and anime we know pretty much all of his thoughts,) I want to make his personality a little more cold than he usually is. It's annoying how he cares so much for Risa even though she's such a spoiled brat -_- and Riku can be kind of annoying too. I usually don't write about two people of the same gender liking each other, but I think I can make an exception for this… :P haha jk. Wait, you never know—it might be interesting if Daisuke and Satoshi like each other!

I don't own DNAngel.

CHAPTIRE FOUR: DAISUKE AND SATOSHI, DARK AND KRAD

"Bye, Miss Harada!" I waved at Risa, and Riku left with her.

"_Hmm, you really like that girl, don't you?"_

"Oh be quiet, Dark." I blushed slightly at the mention of Risa.

"_I don't blame you. Like I told ya, she's a keeper!"_

I ignored him and went down two flights of stairs, where I bumped into Satoshi Hiwatari. He dropped a bunch of trays, with a loud clatter, onto the floor, and I caught him before he lost his balance.

"Ah? Hiwatari!" I was embarrassed. "I'm sorry." I helped him pick them up, then gathered half of them from his hands. "Here, I'll help you."

After the theft of the Sacred Maiden, I took to avoiding him. Somehow, his blue eyes seemed to read my mind every time I looked at him.

Dark growled uneasily.

"_What's wrong?" _I asked him, mindspeaking.

"_Nothing."_

I noticed Hiwatari was leading us down to the basement, and I hurriedly asked, "Hiwatari, how did you get stuck with this? Did you get in trouble?"

He answered with that soft, mysterious voice of his, saying, "No—I just volunteered."

I was stuck—there was an uncomfortable silence between us. "Ah—uh… Um…"

"Yes?" He asked, looking directly into my eyes. He smiled slightly.

"Oh," I said, looking down. Dark remained silent. "I was just wondering… Did you see the Maiden's Prayer painting? It was duplicated yesterday, and they're auctioning off the real one!"

"Yes, I've seen it." Hiwatari still had that half smile on his face. We opened the doors, and set down the trays. Just then, the doors closed with an echoing _clang, _and I whirled around in surprise. Hiwatari just stood there and watched me as I shook the handles.

"We're locked in!" I thought desperately. There must have been someone who locked us in for a joke!

"Well then, we'll just have to crack the code on this lock." I typed in the standard code I always used to crack electronic safes, but for some reason, the lock rejected the combination.

Impossible! Why would a standard storage room have such an elaborate lock?

Hiwatari walked up next to me, perfectly composed. "We'll have to stay in here, then."

***

(Daisuke started getting a bit boring, so I'm switching to Hiwatari's point of view.)

I watched Niwa try to crack the lock, and I had already recorded his previous code, so it was no problem formatting a newer, almost impossible to bypass lock. I felt Krad stir in me.

"_What are you doing?"_

"_Trying to get Dark to come out. I just know it! Daisuke has Dark residing in his mind already. If—"_

Krad seemed stunned, then told me off. _"No—Master Satoshi, please, let him unlock the door and leave!"_

"_What? What, Krad?"_

"…"

"_Answer me! If you don't tell me why, I can't help you!"_

"_Just—if you see me—I'll—"_

"_Oh be quiet." _I shut him out, and he tried to speak to me again, but I ignored him and the headache I was beginning to get.

Daisuke rubbed his arms and walked around, having given up. I was surprised. I was sure he would persist, but he seemed reluctant to reveal his talents. He walked over to where I was sitting and slid next to me. "Shouldn't we stand up to keep warm?"

I wanted him to show Dark! I was getting impatient with Daisuke. I answered shortly, "No."

"Are you cold?" He asked me, concern showing in his big red eyes. "You seem pale."

I shook my head, hurting my head even further. "No." Krad persistently pounded my head until I felt like throwing up.

Daisuke spoke up. "Forgive me for doing so, but the other day, I went into your personal profile…"

Huh? I had a multi-layer security system around that…

"But if you've already finished college, why come back to middle school?"

I looked down and decided to answer him truthfully. "Because I wanted to learn how it was, being a regular kid. I wanted to study you all…" _And to find you, _I added in my head. _I know you're Dark!_

I felt Daisuke's arms around me, and I was startled, careful not to let a blush show on my cheeks. "N-Niwa?"

"We should keep warm," he said, as he sat closer to me. He turned to face me directly, and his gaze was pure and honest. "You seem cold."

Krad protested, and I ignored him, enjoying the warmth Daisuke was sharing with me. I realized I was still staring at him in surprise, and Daisuke accidentally tipped forward a little. He was red with embarrassment as he realized we were less than a centimeter away from each other's faces. He stared at me a little more, and Krad finally burst through my thoughts—

I automatically kicked out, and Daisuke went flying back. "What do you think you're doing?!" I had to protect Daisuke—Krad—

"_I—I want to kill him!" _

"_Krad, NO!"_

I buckled in agony as he started to force his way out—Daisuke—he's coming closer—

"Hiwatari-kun!" He was worried about me! I felt his arms around me again as he tried to hold me up. "Hiwatari? What's wrong?"

I let out a strangled scream of agony as Krad finally burst from my consciousness. "No… please, don't come out…"

I remembered the white wings, and Krad's hatred for Dark. Before Krad completely crushed my consciousness, his power finally whole, I gazed one last time at Niwa. "Run…"

*Krad's point of view since Hiwatari got knocked out by Krad and I thought it would be interesting if we saw through his feelings*

***

I no longer cared whether Master Satoshi was hurt or not. "DARK!" I unleashed my magic. "WHERE ARE YOU?" I was consumed by rage, the animal inside me finally awakening. I wanted blood—I wanted Dark's life in my hands. I wanted to watch him suffer as I had--

I whirled around, and I saw Dark crouched on top of a stack of crates. "Thankfully, Daisuke falls in love quickly." He pocketed the picture and stood. "Hello, Krad. How are you?"

*** off topic conversation***

(I'm sorry, but for any of you who watched the anime, I burst out laughing the first time I heard Krad speak—is it just me, or is he British?)

"Hmm? Did someone just mention that you were British?" Dark looked up, wondering where that thought had come from.

"Strange, I could have sworn someone said so." Krad looked around. "I'm not British. I just have a slick way of talking."

-- ah, sorry got kinda off track—here—

I had never felt so angry before—why was it? My wings burst out again in a shower of blood, and again Hiwatari was in pain.

"_Your contract, Krad," _said Hiwatari weakly. _"He's manipulating you…"_

I shut him out. I lunged at Dark, brandishing my magic, and he countered the wave with an attack of his own. "Oh? You've gotten weaker!" He laughed in delight at my repeated attempts to kill him.

He finally let his guard down, and then I lunged at him, forgetting to use my magic in my rage. We rolled across the floor, grappling for the upper hand, until we finally stopped, panting. Dark was sprawled under me in an undignified way, and I pinned him down by the shoulders.

For a moment, the anger lifted, and I saw my other half face to face for the first time in years. Dark smiled wearily at me. "Hey, Krad. Just like the old days, huh?"

For some strange reason, tears began to form in my eyes, and I was overcome with grief as Dark gently pulled me closer, drawing the pain from my heart and into his own. "Why… why have the Niwa families been so kind to you," I cried, "when the Hikari family wouldn't hesitate to punish me with their magic?" Dark looked disturbed, and he closed his eyes.

"Maybe it's because they were afraid of you turning on them, Krad. That's why they've made you like this." He smiled again, reminiscing some memory that he had when he was with his tamers. "Maybe you need to bond with your tamer more."

I felt Kei's control drifting closer, and I stood and pulled Dark up. "Listen, Dark, I don't have much time left." I gazed into his eyes, sure that I would never be able to talk to Dark like this again. "Remember—you are my other half, and I… love you, Dark." (ok, it's not the weird kind of love, it's just brotherly love :) smiles ^_^)

He hugged me one last time, and released me, turning back to Daisuke. Daisuke looked at me with those big, innocent, pure eyes, and I let Hiwatari take over as my mind turned to darkness.

*Hiwatari's point of view*

I felt like during my entire life, my body had always been in this daze of pain. I had dimly heard Krad's words, and I was a little sad for him, but right now my body hurt like it had never before. My back would never be the same again, not with all the magical reformation of wings and collapsing them. I gazed into Niwa's eyes before I finally succumbed to the pain, and I heard someone outside pounding on the doors, and opening them.

The last thing I saw and felt was Niwa's worried eyes and his arms as he caught me.

***

:P I made Krad compassionate towards Dark, but later on in the series WARNING: SLIGHT SPOILER: Krad will be partly taken over by Kei, and he'll hate Dark from then on. Dun… dun… DUN!!! Haha! Any suggestions?


	5. The Sacrifice is Made

Ok people, I'm sort of incorporating a riddle into the chapter names. You should string them together, and on a special chapter the words will make sense. ^_^ so the chapter titles won't necessarily be attributed to the chapter story itself.

*satoshi's point of view*

CHAPTIRE FIVE: THE SACRIFICE IS MADE

"Hiwatari?"

"Ugh…"

"Hiwatari!" Daisuke's big red eyes floated above me. "You're awake!"

I immediately looked around for my glasses, and he had them dangling from his hand. He handed me them, and I put them on. "Where am I?"

"In my house." Daisuke sat next to me, and I tried to sit up. There was an excruciating pain somewhere on my shoulders, and I dimly remembered Krad's wings ripping open my back. Daisuke laid a light hand on my chest in worry. "Don't strain yourself."

I looked down. There were strips of gauze around my chest, and my shirt was barely buttoned. The bed sheets were soaked in blood, and I groaned and buried my face in the pillow. My head was spinning, and it felt like someone was burning my throat.

"You've had a fever since last night. It's one in the morning right now."

Did he stay next to me the whole time? I turned my head, squeezing the pillow tightly.

There was kindness in his eyes as he said, "I'm glad that you're okay."

"Thank you," I said, surprised. When was the last time someone sincerely cared for me?

"_Krad," _I asked. _"Krad, are you there?"_

"_What?" _His voice was quiet with despair.

"_What's wrong?"_

"_Your father, Kei… He's going to twist me until I'll hate Dark forever."_

I realized Daisuke was still talking to me. "Where's your house? I'll send you home once you get better."

"I'll call my father and ask him to drive me home." As much as I hated Kei, I didn't want Daisuke to end up at our house, where he could seriously injure Daisuke and Dark.

"No, it's alright." He poured a measure of medicine from a darkly colored glass bottle and handed it to me. "It kinda tastes weird, but you'll get better in no time."

I drank the medicine, grimacing at the taste, and asked for a glass of water.

"Sure!" Daisuke leapt off the bed and went downstairs.

"_Krad, I'll do my best to help you, but when you find yourself with Dark, please don't kill him."_

"_Why?"_

"_Daisuke's my… friend, and I don't want him to get hurt."_

Krad thought this over for a few minutes. _"Um… okay. Since he's that important to you."_

"_Thank you, Krad."_

We were silent, and I heard Daisuke coming up the stairs. He opened the door, carrying a glass of water, and handed it to me.

I drank it, thankful for the soothing relief in my throat. The headache began to diminish, and my back wound was reduced to an occasional twinge of pain as I shifted in the bed. I set the empty glass on the nightstand.

Daisuke remained silent, and he finally looked up and said, "Hiwatari, get some rest. Just yell if you need help."

I couldn't help but smile wryly at this. "I can barely talk. It's alright, I won't need anything else."

"You sure?" Daisuke was worried again. "I'll stay here, then."

It was probably going to be disconcerting with Daisuke in the same room. "Um…"

"It's alright, I'll just sleep in that chair." He sat down and put his head in his arms, tapping his fingernails lightly against the wooden table. "Night." He closed his eyes.

I looked at him a moment longer at his slim form, the gentle way he slept, and the way he just generally cared for anyone in particular. Then I removed my glasses and went to sleep.


	6. The Seal Undone

The anime version of DNAngel was awesome. I was sad when I got to the last episode :( oh well. Anyways, this chapter's going to be Dark's point of view.

CHAPTIRE SIX: THE SEAL UNDONE

"_Daisuke." _

Niwa, still half- asleep, mumbled, "Be quiet."

"_DAISUKE!" _I shouted, and he immediately sat up, rubbing his eyes.

"What, Dark? I'm tired," he complained.

"_Hiwatari's fever is up again."_

Daisuke, now fully awake, looked around. It was true. Satoshi was sweating, and his hands gripped the bedsheets tightly. He seemed to be in pain again, and his back was bleeding. He gasped, a long, shuddering breath, and Daisuke held a towel to his mouth as he coughed up droplets of blood.

"Oh, no! The medicine didn't work!" He looked around, his eyes falling on the clock. Four in the morning. I sighed, and said,

"_I only told you because I knew Hiwatari's your friend," _I said, _"But I don't care if Krad dies!"_

"Don't be mean," said Daisuke as he ran to the bathroom closet and grabbed two small towels. He wet both towels with cold water and wrung them out, then raced back to where Hiwatari was. A roll of gauze lay on the table, and Daisuke put one of the towels on Hiwatari's forehead. "Oh, dang, I need a glass of water and some medicine…"

He raced back to the medicine cabinet and grabbed a bottle of pills, and retrieved a glass of water from the kitchen. He dumped two pills into the water and went back to the room, where Satoshi looked dreadful. His blue hair stuck up in clumps and was plastered across his forehead, and his features were twisted in delirious pain. Daisuke poured the pills down his throat and Satoshi choked, then drank it down. The water seemed to help a little, and he breathed a little easier. His grip on the blankets eased, and he was still gasping for air, but he seemed in better shape. Daisuke sat him up and took off Satoshi's shirt. He gasped, and then gazed down at Hiwatari's body.

"_Jesus Christ, what did he do to himself?" _I shared Daisuke's concern.

"Earlier, it was Mom who dressed his wounds—but she didn't tell me they were this bad!" Daisuke looked down in horror at the white scars crisscrossing his chest. The scars continued up and over his shoulders, testimony to some terrible wound, then stopped.

"_No," _I said in disbelief. _"Those are magical wounds. There are no other wounds that can linger like this. Those magical wounds have healed a long time ago, but the scars still remain. Who did this to him? Krad?"_

"I don't know what happened to him, or who did this to him, but Hiwatari…" He looked at Satoshi. "He's carried all this pain through these years by himself." He smiled faintly despite the circumstances, and he closed his eyes. "I respect him for that."

Through the next hour, Daisuke changed his bandages, which helped the wounds, then gave him a little more water. He dabbed at the sweat on his forehead, and wiped down his back. Hiwatari was sleeping soundly at the time, but Daisuke was still concerned about him and stayed awake.

Hiwatari was still unconscious, and I had a strange suspicion. Hikari artworks were highly unstable, and those wounds might have been the result of Hiwatari tampering with the magical power. But I was sure that Hiwatari was smarter than that. Krad only just awakened a week ago, as did I, so I doubted that the scars were made by him. Could it be…?

Daisuke cut through my thoughts. _"He's getting better. Dark," _he asked.

"_Hmm?"_

"_Why… why do you two hate each other so much?"_

I was taken aback at the sudden question. _"Hate?"_

"_Well, it seems like you and Krad don't like each other all that much."_ Daisuke seemed embarrassed. _"Sorry if I'm prying into your past, Dark."_

"_There might have been a time when… we were friends. And rivals," _I added. I felt pain at the mention of the past, and I knew that Krad and I could never have the same friendship as we did before. _"It was because the Hikaris would torture him, and I tried to help, but they twisted his mind until he came to believe that it was my fault he was always in such constant pain. That was when…"_

Daisuke sensed my hesitation, and hurriedly said, _"It's alright, you don't have to go on," _he said.

I felt a rush of affection for Daisuke, and said, _"No, I'm fine. But the point where I equally hated him was when he took the girl I loved and threatened to harm her." _I still felt the pain and the fear I had held for her as he taunted me, and the anger I still held toward Krad.

Tentatively, Daisuke asked, _"Who was she?"_

I gathered my thoughts, then answered. _"Rinali Harada."_

"_Harada?" _He was stunned. _"Wait—Harada?"_

"_She looks just like Risa," _I said with pain. _"That beautiful girl that I loved looks like Risa. She died, though. We loved each other, and I saw her right until the end. She died too soon."_

Daisuke remained silent, and I was filled with grief as I remembered her beautiful chocolate-amber eyes gazing into mine before she left me. I remembered the feel of her hair, and the way her eyes would sparkle when she saw me, and… I also remembered the feelings I had for the only girl I ever truly loved.

"Mmph…" Hiwatari was up. "Dai—Niwa?"

"Yeah?" He snapped to attention. "What's wrong?"

"N-nothing." He took a shuddering breath and sat up. "Thank you."

"Oh, no problem." Daisuke warmly smiled at him. "Are you okay now?"

"Yeah. My fever's broken, and I think my back…" He looked around. "Um, did you change my bandages?"

Daisuke looked down. "Yeah. Sorry, Hiwatari."

"And you saw my wounds?" He covered his face with one hand and trembled slightly.

"Who—"

"My foster father, Kei Hiwatari." His eyes were glazed over with pain. "He did this to me."

"_That explains it. His father… was never Kei."_ I was sorrowful. _"I bet Kei did this to him to manipulate Hiwatari's Hikari powers."_

That explained so much.

Daisuke sank onto the mattress by Hiwatari's side. "Put on your shirt. You might get a cold after sweating so much."

"It's been a long time since someone's cared for me." Hiwatari turned to Daisuke, a genuine smile on his lips. "Thank you." He put on his shirt and buttoned it. "I should be at home."

"Hold it—" Daisuke put a restraining arm on Hiwatari's hand. "You're still hurt. Stay here until you recover."

"But…"

"Just do as I say." Daisuke looked serious. "I'll stay with you through the whole day. I'm also slightly hurt, after all the effort of—"

"_Magic," _I said. _"Sorry, Daisuke, but I had to keep him from killing you."_

"_It's alright. Satoshi already knows who I am, right?"_

"_Yeah."_

"Well, it's six in the morning—do you want anything to eat?" Daisuke continued. Satoshi stood up, looking embarrassed.

"Um, yeah, I'm kind of hungry…"

"Kay, follow me then."

*** Hiwatari's point of view***

I followed Niwa down the stairs, feeling anemic, and Krad sounded weak. _"Ugh…"_

"_Hey, you alright?" _I was slightly concerned, finally knowing what Krad had been through. I decided I wouldn't try to press friendship upon him, after what the Hikaris had done to Krad.

"_Y-yes, Master Satoshi—I'm just slightly… slightly hurt after my battle with Dark."_

"_Afterwards, I'll let you come out to heal."_

A surprised silence. Then, _"Oh… thank you."_

I noticed Niwa was talking. "What do you want to eat?"

"Anything." I sat down at the dining table, then as an afterthought, apologized for getting blood all over the sheets.

Daisuke looked up from the refrigerator in surprise. "Ah? Oh, no problem. I used to be really clumsy, and I would get hurt all the time. Mom's used to it. Um, I can make French toast and let's see… anything else you want?"

"Oh, no thanks, that's enough for me." I gazed out the window, still feeling slightly dizzy. Krad sighed.

"_Hey, Master Satoshi, don't you think you're getting too close to Niwa?"_

"_Huh?"_

"_I mean, one day, you and I both know that I'm going to hurt Dark badly… And Niwa, too. You—you won't ever forgive me if I do, will you?"_

He was afraid I would punish him if he lost control and allowed his other personality to come out. Did he really distrust me that much?

"_I would never punish you for something like that." _

Disbelief emanated from Krad, then relief. _"Oh…"_

"_Yeah."_

Daisuke set down a plate in front of me and a glass of water. "I hope I didn't burn it too much," he said nervously. "It's my first time cooking for someone else."

I smiled at his kindness, and he sat down next to me, gazing at the rising sun. "It's beautiful, isn't it?"

"Yeah. _Hey, Krad, hang in there, huh? I'll get home as fast as I can._"

He only coughed weakly, but I knew he would wait.

While Niwa was still looking out the window, I cut the toast into pieces and ate them off a fork, and drank the water down. "I've got to go. My father's probably worried for me."

We both knew I was lying about that, but Niwa still stood up, with a strained smile on his face. "Okay. Mom's probably still asleep, and so are Dad and Grandpa. I'll let you borrow my bike, and I can run with you."

"I'll be fine with that."

"And I'll lend you a jacket. Come on." Daisuke abruptly took my hand and pulled me up the stairs. "It won't do for you to catch cold in that thin shirt."

He was acting strange—what was it?

"_He's… he's worried for you." _Krad finally spoke, and his words were tight with pain.

"_Ah?"_

"_He is. I can tell." _

Krad and I spoke no more of the matter, and Daisuke led me to his room. I stood in the doorway as he rummaged through his closet, and then chose a warm black coat and a clean shirt for me. "Here."

I stepped into his room and he closed the door behind him. After a moment, I came back out, and Daisuke and I went down the stairs. He grabbed his bike from the rack, and he asked, "Want a helmet?"

"No." I swung one of my legs over the seat and kicked the stand. "You sure you want to come? I can always ask someone to send the bike home."

"It's alright." Daisuke was already zipping up a polyester fleece jacket, and I glanced at him.

"Uh, Daisuke? You're wearing pajama pants."

"Oh, whatever. They're black, so no one will notice."

I shrugged and pedaled down the road, Daisuke keeping up perfect pace with me. I decided to go as fast as I could, and to my amazement, he still kept next to me and was breathing evenly. The rest of the trip I gazed at the sea, then back on the road as I began to feel dizzy again. I could feel Krad's pain, and he was still coughing weakly. He closed the mental link between us, and I tentatively brushed against the barrier. It was weak, so I pried it open.

"_Ah! Master Satoshi…"_

That must have hurt him. _"Sorry…"_

"_Please don't do that again."_

"_Okay."_

I sealed the barrier again, this time adding my own shield to it, but I kept the link that shared how we felt between us. Krad was in pain, and I reached out with my thoughts and took some of the pain from him. My back ached slightly again, and he seemed to feel better as I pedaled on. Daisuke was now slightly tired, judging from the way little puffs of condensation appeared in the air as he ran on.

We passed the Harada's house, and he glanced at it before we passed on. My house was just up the hill, and I got off the bike and pushed it up the hill. Daisuke waited behind me as I walked up to the fence and unlatched it. I hoped my father was still asleep upstairs, and I quietly slid open the glass doors. "Bye, Daisuke."

"Thanks. And did you notice?" He was smiling slightly. "You've started calling me Daisuke."

"Oh?" I hadn't noticed and I was distracted a little by Krad as the pain intensified. "Um… see you at school."

"Yeah." Daisuke turned and shut the fence. I heard the bicycle whiz away, and I went upstairs, concerned for Krad.

***


	7. Their Lives to be Saved

Krad's point of view. Sorry this chapter took so long… I was busy with SATs and a report. I suppose now you can guess which grade I'm in? (or I guess not…) and Krad cusses a little (not like really bad words, just mild language)

CHAPTIRE SEVEN: THEIR LIVES TO BE SAVED

Satoshi managed to make it upstairs to his room before his father came in.

"_Damn… why is he here?" _I gazed with pain-filled eyes at Kei. _"Hiwatari…"_

"_Don't worry. I'll try to keep him from doing anything."_

"So, Krad," Kei said while crossing his arms. His gray silk suit rustled slightly, and his glasses gleamed. "You were with Niwa and Dark this whole time, and you did not harm them? I suppose the magical barriers at the Niwa's house prevented me from intervening."

"I would never let you hurt them!" Satoshi growled, his fever going up again. He started feeling dizzy and sank to the floor, dizzy. "Leave us… alone."

"Satoshi, you stupid boy, you understand that I only adopted you because of your powers. Do you truly think that I would listen to you?"

I felt murderous rage at the way Kei was treating his son. Hiwatari and I knew Kei would destroy us both without hesitation, and I was glad that Hiwatari was there to help me. But I was still terrified of Satoshi, and the way he seemed to actually care for me… I had been tricked too many times. I remained silent, allowing Satoshi to slightly recover from his fever. He pushed himself up, his shoulder blades cracking slightly as the wound opened again.

"Argh!" He bent over in agony. His father laughed, and revulsion at Kei's actions enraged me. I kept myself under control, not wishing to re-experience the pain that Kei had inflicted upon me.

Kei tilted Satoshi's head up, and said, "Let Krad out. I need to talk to him."

Cold dread stole through me. I was still injured, and if he had to use the artwork again, I would surely die before I could heal myself. Satoshi looked blindly at Kei, his glazed eyes closing.

"No!" He shook Satoshi, and the boy's head lolled limply forward as he slipped into darkness. Kei cursed, and took out the same artwork as last time. "Krad, are you watching me?" A mad smile was on his lips. The artwork shimmered dangerously and became a cold, steel blade infused with magic.

"_No…" _I said in disbelief. Kei flipped Hiwatari over with his foot, and then stabbed the sword through his wound.

Hiwatari screamed in his mind, his consciousness lashing out with thoughts and I retreated. I reached out to calm him and drew in a little of the pain, and he took in a long, shuddering breath. Kei twisted the sword, bringing a new wave of pain through Satoshi, and I realized he would die if this kept up. I had no choice but to materialize, and I lashed out instantly, rage seemingly running through my veins like liquid fire. My wings were badly hurt, and I dared not bring them out. I glared at Kei.

"You bastard—" I began, then clamped down my anger. "What do you want?!"

"You swore that you would follow my orders. So why do you still protect Dark from your true self?" He asked. The sword shimmered with Satoshi's blood, and it reformed back into the cross. The stone set in the middle seemed to draw me in, and I pulled away from it. "You know that they will always betray you," he intoned. The stone twinkled, and despite my efforts I was drawn to it. "You will always be hurt, the ones you love torn from you and killed, and no one will ever love you back…"

Satoshi was still unconscious.

I fought against his voice and the Hikari power, and I growled, "Dark has always cared for me—it was I who was twisted by the Hikaris. They feared me—"

"But did it ever register that Dark simply wants to use you?"

"What…" I growled. "What for?"

"Just to use you as a tool, nothing more. You know how he enjoys it when he watches you fail at trying to capture him," said Kei. The stone's power was slowly eroding away at my reasoning, and I accepted Kei's words.

"But… Hiwatari… is kinder to me," I struggled to say. "He never wanted to punish me, and as I searched his mind, he did not seem to use artworks for selfish purposes."

"Of course, the Hikaris are skilled at hiding certain parts of their thoughts from you, Krad. If you allow me to show you, I can tell you everything he's planning to do. I can help you crush Dark. I can help you regain a body of your own," he said in a calm voice. I crumpled to my knees.

"No… I don't believe you—"

"I can."

"You—no one can help me," I said. "No one can ever understand how I feel."

"_Krad, don't listen…" _Satoshi was barely hanging on to consciousness.

For some reason, I felt rage course through my mind, and I lashed out at Satoshi. _"What do you know?! I've had everything torn away from me—Elaine's been taken from me, you Hikaris have used artwork so often to torture me that I still bear the scars. Do you still believe me to trust you?" _I blindly pounded the carpet in anger. Above me, Kei pocketed the small statue in triumph.

"So," said Kei. "If you kill Dark Mousy and help me undo the Koku Yoku's bindings, I will, in exchange, give you a true life of your own. If you still refuse, however, I will not hesitate to use this—" The cross gleamed in his pocket— "to punish you."

"To hell with you!" I glared at him, but I knew my mind would be lost to him if he used the artwork. "Get away from me!" I smashed a fist into his stomach, and he deflected it with the cross. I stood. "You don't truly understand what I want."

"So be it." He swept out of the room, and I used my magic to slam it closed after him.

Satoshi was too weak to do anything, and I stormed into the bathroom. I ripped my wings out and he blacked out again from the pain. My magic healed my wings automatically, but I still felt that I needed a shower.

Since my outfit was torn beyond repair from Satoshi's wounds, as I undressed and turned the water on I destroyed it with my magic. I noticed that the cross tied into the bottom of my ponytail probably wasn't waterproof, and I placed it onto the counter.

As the hot water streamed over my back and swirled in red-streaked torrents down the drain, I undid the ponytail in my hair and washed it with Satoshi's lemon-scented shampoo. I noted how ridiculously long my creator had made my hair and smirked at a memory that came back from a couple hundred years ago.

***

"_Um, I suppose we should try out our wings," said Dark nervously as we stood on the balcony, looking down at the chasm below us._

_I glanced at Wix, who was at his usual place, balancing on my left shoulder. "Well?"_

_His big, midnight blue eyes twinkled, and he nodded. "Okay…" I said hesitantly. "Dark, you ready?"_

"_Yeah. One, two, three—" We jumped off of the balcony together, and he and I shouted,_

"_Wix!"_

"_Wiz!" _

_Behind me, a swirl of big white feathers unfurled, and I flapped experimentally, sending me rocketing backward. Dark was grinning like a five-year old, and he flew forward. "Woah!"_

_Wix squeaked in alarm in my mind, and I said, "Oh no, Wix, don't you dare—"_

_He dropped me. "Aah!" I fell toward the chasm, and Wix was following behind me, trying to catch me. Dark was laughing at the panicked look on my face, and he flew forward and caught me by my ponytail._

"_Argh! Ow, ow ow!" I hung there, and Wix finally turned back into my wings. "Dark! Let go!"_

_He burst into laughter, black feathers floating from his wings. "Did you see," he laughed, "the look on your face?"_

"_Oh shut up, Dark." Despite my shock, I began to smile. "Let's go back already. Wix is getting tired."_

"_I could do this all day," said Dark. "Well, you're right. The sun's going down, and they're going to be wondering where we are."_

"_Yeah." We flew back up to the balcony._

***

A sudden change in the water temperature jolted me back to reality and I finished showering. As I turned the water off and dried myself, I felt a twinge of regret at my actions, but the stone still had me under its power and I was feeling ill from the lingering effects of the magic than I ever had before. I used my magic to make another one of my outfits.

When I was out of the bathroom, I evaluated Satoshi's situation. He was on the brink of death, with the fever still raging through his body and the wound sapping him of his strength. If I didn't heal him, he would die. I summoned my magic yet again and purged the virus from his body, then healed the wounds in his back. He was still asleep, but every now and then his mind would awaken slightly and then fall back to sleep.

I figured as long as he was asleep, I would take a nap. Kei's words still echoed in my head, and the very idea of having a body of my own was tantalizing.

_But, _said a little voice in the back of my head, _what if he's lying?_

I sighed and kicked off my white sneakers. My hair was still slightly damp, and I reached out and took the platinum, magically infused cross from the desk and put it back onto my ponytail. "He probably is," I said out loud. I looked at the door to make sure it was magically sealed, then as an afterthought put a second, stronger seal on it so that no one could disturb me. As I padded across the room and flopped onto Hiwatari's bed, I buried my face in the soft pillow and breathed in deeply. "And I accidentally told him about Elaine." The cross in my hair twinkled innocently at me, and I gazed at it fondly.

*** sorry, I had to cut this chapter in half. The next will… well, read the next half of this chapter to find out!***

Thanks to Dark Hearted Shinobi, Ayla 505x, and Crazy Computer's Vendetta for reviewing.


	8. Their lives to be saved continued

English homework :(

CHAPTIRE SEVEN (well the other half of it anyways): THEIR LIVES TO BE SAVED: continued

Krad's point of view.

***

She was a beautiful girl, unlike any other human I had ever seen before. She had long, waist-length hair that was a soft chocolate brown, and a usually dreamy exterior. Her eyes, however, were what drew me to her.

My tamer and I were back after a long day of trying to hunt Dark down, and I was heavily wounded. We managed to fly halfway back before my tamer collapsed from the strain and I plummeted from above the clouds down to earth. I knew I was going to die as the ribbons of blood streamed from my wounds, and my eyes began to close. The cool night wind felt good against my wounds, and I just let myself fall, and hopefully I would die without anyone seeing me. I could have saved myself, but I just had lost hope.

Before I knew what had happened, someone caught me. My arm was half ripped out of its socket, and the searing pain rocketed up the back of my head and I yelled.

"Hey!" A soft, indignant voice sounded from above me, and I felt myself hauled up. "What the—what happened to you?"

A pair of emerald-gold eyes stared into mine. "You're badly hurt!" I ignored whoever it was and looked down. We were dangling from a rope off of… a crane? I looked up and saw that the person who caught me was a girl, and she tossed me over her shoulder like it was nothing. "Hold on—I'll get you to the family doctor."

"No," I managed to gasp through the fuzziness of pain. "Can't… can't go to a hospital."

She was obviously puzzled, but as she climbed down to the ground, she said, "Okay."

I was amazed. Humans were regularly very inquisitive, and I expected her to ask why. The soft rush of the wind went by as she finally dropped down to the ground and dragged me over to a car. She eased me into the passenger seat, and I blacked out as she drove on, obviously ignoring the speed limits as we whizzed by.

***

I opened my eyes a tiny bit and instantly perceived a faint, glowy light. It was obviously a fire in a fireplace, and I groaned and shifted over. My arm was bound in a healing position, and I gingerly flexed it and was pleased to find that it wasn't broken too badly. My tamer was still unconscious, and I ignored him. I didn't care whether or not he died because he already had a young daughter. (ok, in my idea Krad only appears when the Hikari inheritor is fourteen. And he can appear in both female and male descendants.)

"Ah, you're awake?" The same soft voice drifted from somewhere in front of the bed, and I bolted upright, then fell back from the pain that was spreading through my arm.

"Where the heck am I?" I demanded, dropping my usually polite language. I looked around, rubbing my eyes as I did so. It was a large, spacious room with a polished wooden floor. A flight of stairs led somewhere upstairs, and the window clearly showed that it was in the middle of the night. "And where are you?"

"Um, down here?" She peeked over the edge of the bed and stood up. "And who are you, exactly?" She had a slim, petite figure, and she looked like she was still in her teens. She wore a light gold cashmere sweater and black DKNY jeans (my eyesight was exceptionally clear, for some reason. I could read the embroidery on her jeans.) "I saw your wings. You aren't a human—are you an angel?"

She knew. Although my arm was hurting, and she had helped me, she was still human. And if she were human, she would obviously have evidence I wasn't, and in my vulnerable state, humans could take me away and treat me like an animal.

I couldn't allow that to happen, and propelled myself off the bed and she and I hit the floor. Her head hit the floor with a loud _crack _and I hoped she would have died without me having to murder her. But her golden eyes were still open, and as the flickering flames illuminated the blood pooling on the floor, she still looked at me, her gaze full of understanding and yet strangely devoid of pity.

I hated her eyes, but at the same time, they captivated me. Any normal human girl would have already given up, or screamed uselessly. But she still held her gaze, blinking every now and then from the blood trickling down into her eyes.

She won. I released her shoulders and sat up, and she did so too. As she brushed lightly at the back of her head, I saw scars at the base of her neck continuing up onto the top of her head.

I felt guilty as she swayed from the blood loss, and she smiled at me. I was surprised as she said, "I would never tell anyone about you, you know."

I found my voice and bluntly asked, "What… what happened to you?"

She winced, and I sighed and healed the wounds with a touch of my magic. "I'm sorry."

It was the first time I felt interest in a human girl.

"Apology accepted. Before I answer your question, you have to help me clean the house."

After that, I followed her around and did as she asked me to do, and instead of having the usual murderous instinct I had toward humans, I was curious about what happened.

Firstly, she introduced herself. Her name was Elaine Miki Ikeda. She was the daughter of a rich landowner, and he had recently died leaving the whole fortune to her. She had been stargazing on a crane (she climbed the entire structure,) when I fell. She had already seen me, and as she caught me she fell off of the crane under our combined weight.

She had grabbed onto the rope. Afterwards in the car, I must have accidentally released my wings (that was when she saw them.)

"And then I cleaned all of your wounds the best I could and yeah…" She trailed off while wiping a bloodstain off of the floor.

"How old are you?" I asked suddenly.

"Ah? I'm twenty-two," she answered casually. "Why?"

I stared at her. "You look like a eighteen year old." That earned me a light slap on the face with a towel.

"Ow!"

"You deserved that," she said dryly.

"Anyways," I said, trying not to let my temper get in the way, "Why do you have all of those scars on your neck?"

She put the towel down and sat down by the fire. "Sit down. I hate it when people stand up when I'm sitting down."

I automatically did, wondering why I let this human girl could command me around so easily.

"I was attacked by a jealous 'friend' (ok, she put air quotes around her head when she said that) when I was eighteen."

I looked blankly at her.

"Um, my father had recently purchased her father's company and fired him. She was jealous at my father because we had made her poor, and one day she just simply took a knife and tried killing me, and then left me for dead." She trailed off again. "But I survived, and the police took her away to jail… I heard she died in there."

I sensed she was lying. "That's not the truth is it?"

"No. How did you know?"

"Just the way you sounded. Like as if it was something much worse."

She smiled at me and sprang up. "I know. Well, when I get to know you better then I'll tell you the whole truth, huh?" She looked at the clock. "It's getting late. I think you should get home."

***

From that moment on, every single evening I went under cover of darkness to visit Elaine—using concern for the injury I caused her as an excuse. My tamer never knew because I would use magic to make him unconscious every time I went outside, and he remained ignorant of Elaine. She and I became extremely close, and I discovered that due to her having a weak heart, she was unable to go out very much. In return, I told her about my curse and Dark, and she wasn't all that surprised, and again I was amazed by how gentle and accepting her nature was. If I had been hurt again by the Hikaris, I would tell Elaine and she would comfort me with a few gentle words. By then, a month had passed since she first met me.

"Krad," she said to me one night over a cup of hot chocolate, "I'll definitely find a solution for my illness. I will. And maybe I can even find a way to free you and Dark!" She looked happily at me. "And I can take you out to go for a walk at this awesome place I found when I was little. I'll bring you there someday."

Her condition improved to the point where she could finally go outside more often, and she told me, "Come over at eleven, and I can take you there."

It was the day I could honestly say that I discovered I loved Elaine. She was wearing long yellow sundress, and her skin glowed copper under the sun. In her hand was a hamper filled with food (I guessed.) She pulled me along until we came to a dirt path, and she ducked under a low- hanging tree branch. "There!"

A large tree overlooking a cool, glittering point of a creek illuminated the forest around it, and the water rushed by pleasantly. The water was clear, and the bottom was littered with pieces of glowing gemstones.

"It's beautiful!" I said. The wind rustled gently in the trees, and chirping birds flew by as Elaine held her hat in place, her hair gently blowing back. The dappled shade from the waving tree leaves brought out a natural beauty in Elaine I had never seen before.

I felt her hand in mine. "Yeah."

She sat down on the trunk, and she set the hamper aside. I sat next to her. We remained quiet for some time, because I mostly wanted to feel the sun. I hadn't gone out in broad daylight for a long time, and the sun felt good against my pale skin.

After a while, she must have fallen asleep, because she leaned against my shoulder. I didn't mind, and I leaned back against the tree trunk.

"Krad?" she asked sleepily.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

"Oh… What for?"

"Well you know, I've been isolated for quite a long time already, what with my condition… and I graduated from college very early too. I've been managing the company from home." She took her hat off and draped it onto the hamper.

"Likewise, Elaine."

She laughed quietly and smiled, saying, "Why do you always sound so formal? Just call me Miki, Krad."

I blushed for some strange reason. "Um, er,"

"Say it!"

"I love you, Miki."

Instead of acting flustered, she hugged me and said, "You big dummy, it took you that long to figure out?" She truly laughed for the first time, a beautiful sound like wind chimes, and sat up.

I looked into her beautiful golden eyes, so unlike my own cat-yellow ones.

"So, what would it take for the stupid guy to kiss the girl, huh?"

I was sure I was bright red by then. "Um, uh…"

"Oh, come here, you." She pulled my head down and we kissed, a pure, sweet innocent kiss that truly brought out our true feelings. After a few seconds, she pulled away and hugged me.

I sat there in a daze, until Elaine let go and looked up at me. "Krad?"

"Oh, um…" Why couldn't I stop stuttering?

She laughed and sprang up to her feet, delicately tapping her shoes against the ground. "Let's go for a walk." I followed her, and she hopped from rock to rock, crossing the creek. "This place is beautiful, isn't it?"

"Yeah." I felt happy and safe for the first time in years. The anger and bitterness I held in my heart was gone, and I felt like a heavy burden had been lifted off my shoulders.

We walked on for a while, hand in hand, admiring how the way the creek was like a large pane of glass.

"Should we go back?" I was slightly concerned for Elaine, who was breathing with slight difficulty.

At this point, I should explain. Magic has its limits. Yes, Dark and I can heal wounds, but we cannot repair what has already been damaged to a certain extent. Elaine's heart, if I used my magic to heal her condition, would probably reject the magical strengthening and would inevitably cause her heart to fail.

Elaine coughed weakly, then smiled. "Yeah. I'm fine."

"No, you aren't. Sit."

She shook her head. "I won't let something like my heart condition stop me from being with you."

I dragged her over to a fallen tree trunk and sat her down despite her protests. "Elaine, listen to me!"

She instantly quieted, an anxious look on her face. "Can you tell? Is my heart…"

I cast my magic and examined her heart. "No. It's just… your blood pressure. It's far too low. Come on, I've got to get you home." She started to protest, but at the look on my face, she fell silent. "I have to run for takeoff. I'll summon the basket you left there from home. Let's go!"

"Wait—"

I summoned my wings and ignored the twinges of pain as they ripped open my shirt. I gathered Elaine in my arms and launched myself upwards, then relied on my wings to carry us up past the tree line. "Now, extend your legs and walk." My wings were starting to hurt my back, and I decided to use magic. She did so, and I slowly collapsed my wings and used my magic to keep us up in the air.

I held Elaine's hands as we walked on the air, and she gasped with amazement, seemingly better than before. "This is incredible, Krad!"

We hopped lightly from one cloud to another, and I was still worried for Elaine. The thin air at this height would probably do Elaine more harm, and I used my magic to strengthen the air around us. My tamer, stirring in his sleep, grew weaker as I used more magic. Unseen by Elaine, a single tear traced down my cheek and flew off into the sky. If she left me just because of some inferior illness…

As we hovered over her house, I landed lightly on her doorstep, and Elaine hugged me. "You'll come back, won't you, Krad?"

"Yes." I summoned my magic again and placed the hamper in her hands. She pulled me indoors and set the hamper on the floor, running upstairs.

She returned. "Here." A platinum cross laced with sapphire and amber lay in her palm, and it was infused with so much magic that I was amazed at how she had come across this piece of artwork.

"Who gave this to you?"

"My godmother. Just take it," she said. She dumped it into my hands. "I trust you can use it far more than I can."

It was true. The magical energy stored in this cross was enough to shift a mountain. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. Take it!" In my hands, the magic in the cross glowed and sparkled, reacting to my own magic. "It's also a hairpiece. See?"

She took my ponytail and threaded the cross into the end of my hair. "It's a thank you for coming with me today. I'll see a doctor, don't worry! You should go now," she added, hugging me. "Until then, Krad. Bye!"

I reluctantly stepped outside, and she waved at me as I walked off. "I love you!"

"Goodbye, Miki."

***

Those were one of the last words I said to her.

When I returned the next day as soon as I could, a hurriedly scribbled note was left on the table for me.

"Dear Krad," it read, "I'm at the Kadein Hospital—room 8. –Miki."  
I ripped the note to pieces, bolted her door, and flew at top speed to the hospital. The nurses were startled as I stormed in.

"Elaine!" I said loudly as I flung open the door.

She looked terrible. Several tubes were connected to her wrist, and there was a breathing mask on her face. She attempted to smile, and said, "Krad! You came," she said weakly.

"You…"

"Sorry, Krad. Afterwards at home I ran out of medicine, then I sort of starting panicking… and then my heart stopped for a while."

"You idiot! You could have died, why didn't you call me?"

"There wasn't any time…" She dwindled off, and her heart monitor started beeping faintly. "Krad…"

The nurses, who had been pounding on the locked door, finally pried it open and rushed in. A doctor who looked like she had just been roused from bed hurried over. "Sir, please move."

They injected something into her wrist again, then Miki fell asleep.

"What did you do?" I demanded. Two of the nurses looked afraid of me and edged away.

"She's going into cardiac arrest—" The doctor ignored me and examined the monitor, then punched Miki as hard as she could in the heart.

No response.

Swirling emotions raged through my mind, and I simply stared in despair as Miki opened her eyes for the last time.

"Krad," she gasped. "I have something to tell you."

I simply nodded.

"These scars," she said, "were the result of attempted… attempted… rape."

"Who?!"

"It doesn't matter; that isn't important!" She started gasping for air again, the doctor and the nurses looking on helplessly. "And Krad, please… no matter what happens, promise me that you will value your life above all. If you ever find another girl you love, hold onto her. Promise her that you will never leave her, and that you would do anything in your power to help her. Promise me!"

How could I refuse?

"I…" I swallowed thickly, holding down my tears. "I promise, Miki."

She relaxed, a look of contentment in her eyes. "Thank you, Krad. I love you." She put up a shaking hand to my cheek. "I wish the best of luck for you."

"I love you, Miki! Don't leave me!" I looked into her beautiful golden eyes for the last time, full of wisdom and strength and pain, and she closed them.

It was too late. She slipped away quietly, the stupid monitors going off and I smashed the loudest one to the ground. "ELAINE!"

Her hand dropped limply to her side, and my magic went crazy. It shut off all of the electricity in the room, raging like an ocean wave over the entire city.

***

End of chapter. I killed Elaine O_o I suppose I shouldn't have done that, but what else could I have done? Was that ending too cheesy? . argh! I was feeling kind of sad and wanted regret and anger in this story… poor krad…


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